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Course Descriptions, Year Two

AMIN 5230 - Advanced Tribal Administration and Governance I (Human Resources)
(3.0 cr; Prereq-5220, graduate student or #; A-F only, fall, every year)
This course will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of solving problems, the activity that takes up the majority of a tribal manager's day. Human resource management will be emphasized. The use of tribal hypotheticals and real-life situations will be heavily relied upon. Case studies of reservations and tribal organizations will be utilized to define problems, collect and analyze data, and seek creative solutions. The use of analogy, brainstorming, the scientific method, systems analysis, and graphic representations will be studies.

The course will proved an overview of financial terms, processes, agencies and laws as they apply to tribal governments. It will focus on overseeing budgeting, bookkeeping, accounting, and purchasing functions; interpreting financial statements; conducting due diligence; and negotiating indirect cost rates with the federal government. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the federal government in tribal financial management, the role of tribal sovereign immunity in financial transactions, and the roles of tribal accountants and auditors.

AMIN 5530 - Federal Indian Law I
(3.0 cr; Prereq-graduate student or #; A-F only, fall, every year)
This course examines the formulation, implementation, and evolution of Indian policy from pre-colonial times to the self-governance era. This course provides a chronological framework and theoretical context in which policies, programs, and events can be seen interacting with each other to produce the cumulative body of treaties, statutes, and court decisions. Students analyze major federal Indian policies that define indigenous/federal political relationship, examining the vies and attitudes of policy-makers and gauging the reactions of indigenous nations to those policies.

AMIN 5440 - Tribal Fiance, Accounting and Budgets II
(3.0 cr; Prereq-5430, graduate student or #; A-F only, spring, every year)
This course will focus on the federal laws and regulations that tribal managers are required to comply with annually. These laws and regulations include the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Title 31, the Single Audit Act, and auditing rules under the Tribal Self-Determination Act. The course will also focus on compliance with federal grants, the preparation of year-end financial statements, and the role of circulars from the federal Office of Management and Budget. The general standards for accountants and the penalties for non-compliance will be studied. The role of federal auditors and investigators will be compared to the role of tribes' internal auditors.

AMIN 5240 - Advanced Tribal Administration and Governance II (Project)
(3.0 cr; Prereq-5230, graduate student or #; A-F only, spring, every year)
This course will focus on the theory and implementation of project management and managing personnel engaged in project management. It will provide an overview of project management principles and concepts. Each student will select an actual reservation project and an aspect of tribal management (e.g., health care, natural resources, housing, or other area) for his or her final research paper. Each student will describe the project form beginning to end through the lens of management theory, as well as critique the implementation of the project.

AMIN 5540 - Federal Indian Law II
(3.0 cr; Prereq-5530, graduate student or #; A-F only, spring, every year)
Federal Indian law has had profound affect on the lives, liberties, and properties of indigenous peoples. At times, U.S. policy and Supreme Court rulings have worked to protect aboriginal rights; at other times, these policies and decisions have had devastating consequences. This course examines the role and practice of the U.S. Supreme Court as a policy-making institution in their dealings with Indigenous nations. This examination requires us to think historically and theoretically; to question the origins and exercise of federal judicial power; and examine the application of federal law to indigenous peoples and Indian citizens.

The Tribal Administration and Governance Directed Project is designed to give MTAG students practical experience in the field while assisting a tribe with a project that meets their own identified priorities.